In an unprecedented show of unity, thirteen of the nation's
premier space advocacy groups, industry associations and space
policy organizations have teamed up to support the effort to
refocus NASA's human space activities toward exploration, including
a return to the Moon and moving on to Mars and beyond.

Collectively these groups can count almost one million Americans
as members or as employees of member companies. Their first goal as
a group is to work for broad Congressional support of the new
national vision for space exploration outside of low earth orbit,
which they refer to as Moon, Mars and Beyond. To begin they will
work to secure first year funding for the initiative, which they
view as a necessary first step for in-depth planning of the
exploration program to commence in earnest.

In addition they intend to aggressively refute the false
impression that Moon, Mars and Beyond is too expensive for this
country to take on. They will demonstrate how modest but steady
growth in our national expenditures on space can move the nation
toward these important goals, and the benefits those expenditures
will provide.

As space activity becomes increasingly integrated with every
aspect of life here on earth, this new focus on exploration will
provide myriad advances in science and technology, untold economic
opportunity and serve as an inspiration to our nation's youth.
Given those benefits and the many more that lie in store, this new
program of human space exploration beyond low earth orbit is a
vital link to the future of the United States and the world.

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For further information about this effort, please
contact:
George Whitesides
Executive Director
National Space Society
(202) 429-1600george@nss.org